Paying Interest

Few things in finance are as evil as interest payments. Historically, usury was looked upon as a crime, even a sin, and it wasn't uncommon for particularly greedy merchants to be burned or pilloried for charging excessive interest. Nowadays, charging excessive interest is standard practice and the greatest loan sharks of all are credit card companies, who entice you with promises of easy payment programs and large credit only to pull the rug out from under you with 18% interest.

As always, do your research. There are good credit cards and bad credit cards, and being able to tell the difference will not only save you money in the short term but, by keeping your credit score high, will make applying for things like a mortgage or car financing much less painful.